Red Mesa

by Aimée

  Ella checked out the APBs and learned that a vehicle matching the description of Jimmy’s truck had been reported passing by the home of one of Zah’s cousins who lived near the police station. Though a patrolman had failed to find the vehicle, he’d warned the Zah family to spend the night with friends, advice they’d promptly taken. It was believed that Jimmy was still in the area.

  Ella checked her weapon, deciding to work the neighborhood near the home of Zah’s cousin. From the looks of it, Begaye was staking out the house and would strike there.

  As she got ready to leave, she found herself missing Justine. Grief engulfed her, weighing down her spirit. Justine would have gone with her on a call like this, lending her support, and they would have watched each other’s backs. Justine would have probably cracked a joke about having to duck Indian arrows.

  Brushing aside the wave of sorrow that threatened to destroy her concentration, Ella adjusted her bullet-resistant vest, put on her jacket, then walked to her Jeep. She knew that a distracted cop was one in constant danger, and she owed Dawn more than that. Her daughter depended on her, as did Rose, and Ella knew that as long as she kept that firmly in mind, she’d never fail to come home from work.

  It was dusk by the time she approached the wood-frame house at the end of a quiet dirt track. She was still about a hundred yards away when she saw a man who fit Jimmy Begaye’s description coming out of the Zah house. She couldn’t be sure, but it appeared Begaye was hiding something beneath his coat.

  Ella could see him heading toward his vehicle, parked at the side of the house. Zah’s relatives had left already, so Ella figured that Begaye must have broken in and trashed the place or perhaps set some kind of trap. Ella made a call to dispatch, asking that someone check out the house while she moved in on Begaye.

  Ella felt her skin prickle, and the badger fetish beneath her blouse against her skin felt warm. Instead of getting into his truck, which she’d expected, Jimmy passed it by and walked around to the backyard. Reaching a barbed-wire fence, Jimmy stopped, pulled a carbine or small rifle from beneath his full-length coat, then set the weapon down on the other side. A moment later, he slipped through the fence, stepping on the bottom strand and slipping under the top wire.

  Once on the other side, he calmly picked up the rifle and slipped it back inside his coat, then headed into a small apple orchard. If he continued that direction, he’d end up at the police station, about a quarter of a mile away. It didn’t take Ella long to guess his plan. Unable to find Zah’s relatives at home, Jimmy had decided to make a move on Thomas Zah himself. Somewhere along the way, perhaps even at the Zah home, he’d traded his bow and arrows for a firearm.

  Ella called dispatch again, then warned the desk sergeant of a possible attack. She stayed on Jimmy’s tail, keeping some distance between her and the man, looking for a way to gain the upper hand. Begaye stopped often and looked around, waiting and watching, but she was careful not to move when he was stationary.

  Soon they reached a small, dry arroyo which ran past the police station, now visible ahead. Jimmy jumped down into the arroyo, and she lost sight of him for a moment. Knowing that he probably wouldn’t hear her—the wind was blowing in her direction—she called in and reported Begaye’s position and direction of travel.

  Dispatch, according to orders, patched her through to Big Ed.

  “What’s going on, Shorty?”

  Ella filled him in quickly. “I don’t know what he’s up to, but it looks like trouble.”

  “We’ll be ready. Watch yourself.”

  Ella quickly followed the suspect down into the arroyo, but as she reached the bottom, it was as if he’d vanished into thin air. She stopped, listening carefully, but all she could hear were cars in the distance. She peered ahead carefully, but there were no signs of movement anywhere. She waited, guessing he was also doing the same thing. If he’d seen her, then he’d be laying out a trap. She felt the danger as keenly as she could the chill in the air.

  She remained still, scarcely breathing, listening for sounds of his approach. Finally she heard footsteps moving away from her. Ella followed again, matching the pace he’d set.

  Soon she was certain that the station was his destination. Ella knew that some of Zah’s relatives had made it a practice to hang out by the rear doors of the station, waiting for a chance to visit Thomas. Although she was sure that by now Big Ed and the other officers had relocated them somewhere safe inside the building, she still worried that trouble would escalate fast if she let him continue with his plan to reach the station. There were too many civilians coming and going there these days.

  At the field behind the station, Begaye scrambled out of the arroyo, weapon in hand, but behind his back.

  Ella followed suit, but now she was at her most vulnerable. There wasn’t any cover outside the arroyo. Her only ally was the darkness outside the cones of the parking lot lights.

  As a semi roared past the station on the highway, Ella took advantage of the noise. Running as fast as she could, she tackled Jimmy from behind, knocking him to the asphalt of the parking lot about twenty-five yards from the station. His rifle flew out of his hands and landed several feet away.

  Ella didn’t have to wrestle with the man long before help arrived. Within seconds, half a dozen officers swarmed over Begaye and he was handcuffed and taken inside.

  As Ella followed the suspect in, Big Ed met her at the booking desk. “I sent an officer to check the Zah house. It was broken into, but otherwise nothing else seems to be wrong. Good job, Shorty,” he said.

  “Thanks.”

  Sergeant Manuelito was there, and as Big Ed moved off, he caught her eye. “I thought Jimmy’s wife wanted you to keep him from getting into trouble, not have him arrested for assault with a deadly weapon. Looks like you’ve made yourself a few more enemies tonight, Clah.”

  He moved off before she could answer, but it didn’t matter anyway, she wouldn’t have responded. Ella knew that Manuelito was already regarded as an arrogant ass by most of the other officers. His opinion carried little weight on the force.

  Right now she had other worries. She needed to catch a ride back to her unit, then return back to the station for at least another hour of paperwork.

  * * *

  Ella left her office shortly after 8:00 P.M. This latest incident had left her exhausted, but she wanted to make one more stop before going home.

  Ella drove to the home Justine had shared with her mother and sisters. It was a matter of obligation and duty to family, regardless of how badly they’d treated her. By now they would have heard that she wasn’t on the case anymore, and she had to let them know that she wouldn’t forget or turn her back on her responsibility to Justine. She’d uncover the truth and see the perps apprehended, even if the department suspended her.

  Ella parked and started up the sidewalk toward the front porch when Angela turned on the porch light and came to the door. Ella could see it on her face—that almost desperate need to hear that it had all been a mistake and Justine was fine, and would be home soon. But she had no comforting news to offer her yet.

  Ella stopped as she reached the front step. “I’m so sorry for what you’ve been going through, cousin.”

  Before Angela could answer, Jayne brushed past her mother and stepped onto the porch. “You should be. You’re at the heart of this, Ella.”

  Angela shot her daughter a hard look. “That’s enough.” She turned her attention back to Ella. “Why have you come? I know it isn’t to give us good news. That’s not possible anymore.”

  By then, Ruth had come outside to stand beside her mother and sister. “I heard what happened at that motel, and why you were late to the service,” Ruth said. “My friend is one of the dispatchers. You saved the lives of a mother and her two children.”

  “She’s trying to make up for the one she took. But it doesn’t work that way,” Jayne shot out.

  “That’s beneath you,” Ella said, glaring at Jayne. “You’re convict
ing me on nothing more than vicious gossip, even though you know very well that I loved my cousin, and I would have done anything to protect her.”

  “All I know is that my sister and you were arguing constantly lately. Maybe you were afraid that she was going to be a better cop than you ever could be.”

  “Nothing would have made me more proud,” Ella said honestly, then looked at Angela. “I came to tell you that I’ve been taken off the case for two reasons. First because we were in the same unit together, and secondly because I’m a relative. But I won’t give up looking for answers. No matter what happens, I will find out what happened, and why.”

  “Oh, how noble of you!” Jayne said, rolling her eyes.

  “Be quiet,” Ruth said. “Ella didn’t have to come by at all. She knew she’d be subjected to your abuse. She’s doing this out of respect, which is a lot more than you’re showing at the moment.”

  Jayne glared at Ruth but said nothing more.

  “Thank you,” Angela said coldly. “But until you do have answers, I don’t want to see you again. Every time I look at you, all I see is the police officer who led my daughter into a trap, then left her alone to die.”

  Ella felt the stinging truth in her words. Regretting the fact that she’d come in the first place, Ella turned and headed back to her vehicle.

  She was on the way home when she heard the short burst of a siren behind her. As she looked in her rearview mirror, she recognized the outline of Blalock’s sedan. She pulled over to the side and waited as Blalock and Payestewa approached together from the same side. Ella realized with some irony that had they come to arrest her, the two would have come in different directions, backing each other up, and spotlighted her car to blind her. At least it hadn’t gone that far yet.

  “How you holding up?” Blalock asked.

  “As well as can be expected. But I’ve got to tell you, someone is working real hard to nail me. The heat keeps building.”

  “I realize that someone is setting you up, Ella, but I’m not sure how much help I’ll be able to give you. Evidence is all I can go by, not gut feelings,” Blalock added.

  “I know that. But thanks for the psychological support.”

  “By the way, the note that you found in Justine’s office and the one you received have gone to our handwriting experts at the crime lab in Washington. They look like forgeries to me, too, but we’ll have to wait for them to verify it. Although they’re backlogged, I succeeded in bumping it up the list because Justine was a police officer. But don’t expect a response any time soon.”

  “I appreciate what you’re doing, but those notes won’t prove I didn’t play a part in her death. I’m sure you know that as well as I do. Whoever’s doing this to me has played it smart all the way down the line.” She started to say more, then hesitated.

  “Go on. Don’t hold out on me now, Ella. I’m one of the few people you need to trust completely,” the senior agent said.

  “You already know Samuel Begaye, the fugitive Harry Ute is after, is in the area,” Ella said.

  “And that bank job he pulled made him over three thousand dollars richer. That could fund him for a while,” Payestewa added.

  “I know you’re already after him for pulling that bank job,” Ella continued, “but keep in mind that he’s got a big grudge against my cousin and me. We’re the ones who sent him to prison.”

  “If you’re right about him, he might be the key to everything that’s been happening around here,” Blalock said.

  “To be honest, it doesn’t fit the profile of the fugitive—not as I remember him,” Ella said. “But it’s definitely something worth looking into.”

  “Maybe prison changed him,” Payestewa suggested. “He may have learned a lot from some of the masters he did time with.”

  “I suspect that Begaye is part of the picture somehow, but I have a feeling that someone else orchestrated this frame.” Ella decided not to tell them about the instant messages she’d received warning her of a conspiracy. Big Ed knew and he’d look into it himself.

  “One more thing,” Blalock said. “You’ve already stated in your report that you were at the scene the night of the crime, and the tire prints at the crime scene have confirmed that fact. Your footprints were there, too, as we knew they would be, and have been identified as well. The weird thing is that most of the footprints that belonged to you had been brushed away as if someone had tried to obliterate them.”

  “Nice touch,” she said, shaking her head. “He’s making it look like I tried to cover up, but just didn’t think of everything. This person’s really out to pin my hide to the wall.”

  “The soil on your shovel also matched that of the area, including the soot from the fire,” Payestewa added.

  “Again, just as predicted. I was there, and I used the shovel to put out the fire. I admitted that.”

  “I know. Now, here’s something new that may be good news. Several hundred yards from where the body was found, in the opposite direction of where Justine’s car was dumped, we found another set of tire marks. We haven’t identified them yet. They may have come from departmental vehicles or from that dark pickup you mentioned in your first report. We also found other footprints we haven’t been able to account for yet,” Blalock said.

  Blalock shifted restlessly, then cleared his throat. “But this isn’t the reason I stopped you.” He reached into his jacket pocket and brought out a document. “I have a warrant to search your home for Justine’s weapon, badge, and for tools which may have been used in the crime.”

  Ella suppressed the shudder that traveled up her spine. He meant an axe, knife, or any other sharp implements that could have been used to dismember Justine’s body. She took the paper from his hands. “Give me a minute or two to break this to my mother first, okay?”

  “Sure. I thought you might want to do that. That’s the reason I flagged you down,” Blalock said.

  Ella stared at the warrant. “I realize that you’re looking for whatever was used to dismember the body, but that could have been any combination of blades or cutting tools. Do you intend to confiscate every kitchen knife we have?” Ella said, unable to keep the anger out of her voice.

  Noting it, Blalock gave her a long look. “You’re a cop, Ella. I’m just doing my job and cutting you as much slack as I can. A search for the murder weapon is pretty much standard. We’ll do the same at the places Begaye has been staying in once we or Harry Ute catch up to him.” He paused, then added, “Do you mind if I give you a piece of advice?”

  “Go on.”

  “Despite the pressure to solve this case as quickly as possible, I’ve got to investigate the case by the book, especially because we’ve worked together so much in the past. If I don’t, somebody is going to call the investigation a whitewash. You have an advantage I don’t. You know you’re not guilty, so you won’t have to waste time touching all the bases, like me. This is the time for you to call in favors and get me some evidence I can really use. Go after whoever did this every spare minute you have. Get me what I need to clear your name. Once that’s done, you’ll have more access to this case, and the truth is that I need your help as much as you need mine.”

  Ella nodded. “I’ll get what you need. Count on it.”

  “Good. For now, let’s get this search warrant executed.”

  Ella drove ahead of them, leading the way to the house. She was worried about her mother. Rose didn’t like strangers in her home, let alone looking through everything they owned.

  When they arrived, Blalock followed her to the front door, keeping an eye on Two, who was sitting on the porch, alert. “In staying by the book, you know I can’t let you go inside and talk to your mom unless I’m present. You can whisper, I won’t eavesdrop, but I can’t give you or her access to the house now that you both know we have a warrant.”

  “Understood.” Instead of going into the house, she called her mother out onto the porch. “They have to search the house, Mom. Where’s my daughter?” />
  “Taking her nap,” Rose answered. “I’ll bring her outside. The men moving around the house and going through things may scare her.”

  Blalock stood by the door and looked at Ella as Rose opened the door to go back inside.

  “Go with her, if you need,” Ella said.

  Blalock followed Rose noiselessly, and even though she never said a word, Ella could sense her mother’s disapproval. Two followed Blalock, not making a sound either.

  To Blalock’s credit, neither he nor Agent Payestewa left things strewn about as she’d seen many officers do during the course of their work. But he and the Hopi agent were both methodical and thorough. Though their house was small, it took them close to two hours to go through everything to their satisfaction.

  Blalock finally came back outside where Rose was sitting, protected by Two and holding Dawn, who was wrapped in a blanket, fast asleep. The senior agent looked at the small storage shed across the way, pulled a flashlight from his jacket pocket, and handed it to his subordinate.

  The Hopi agent looked at the light, smiled, then handed it back, producing a brand-new, even larger flashlight from his coat pocket.

  “What do you know? Mine is bigger than yours,” Payestewa deadpanned.

  Blalock groaned. “We’re going to have to go in there too, Mrs. Destea,” Blalock said, gesturing toward the shed.

  “Nothing’s in there except some gardening tools and a box of organic insecticide,” Rose said.

  Payestewa made a thorough search of the shack and the surrounding area, Blalock at his heels. Two followed, watching the strangers carefully.

  Stopping in front of an old stump, Payestewa looked at the scarred wood carefully. “You have an axe, right?”

  Blalock looked at Ella, who nodded. “Mom or I usually leave it wedged into the stump. Maybe somebody borrowed it.” Ella’s throat tightened as she saw her mother looking into the shed.